Female Veteran Non-Profit Executive to Become Board Chair of Local Boy Scout Council

PORTLAND, Ore., May 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cascade Pacific Council (CPC) of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced today that a veteran non-profit leader will become its first female board chair in its 105-year history. Kaleen Deatherage is well-known in the non-profit community as someone with strong roots in and a passion for outdoor education.

"I wasn't involved with the Boy Scouts when I was a youth, but my husband, a Life Scout, encouraged me to see what it was all about," Kaleen says. "I immediately connected with its mission of giving kids life-long leadership skills and an appreciation of the outdoors. I dove in head-first 12 years ago and haven't looked back since."

Kaleen began her Scouting adventure by attending Wood Badge, an advanced, national leadership course, in September 2009.  Soon thereafter she was advising Scout units and volunteered for regional leadership positions. In 2016, Kaleen received multiple awards for her service including the organization's Silver Beaver award, one of the highest awards an adult volunteer can receive.

In 2018, Kaleen played a leadership role in integrating girls into the new Scouts BSA program, formerly known as Boy Scouts, that was previously only open to boys. This February, the BSA celebrated its first class of nearly 1,000 female Eagle Scouts in the Scouts BSA program.

"Kaleen has been pivotal in so many parts of the organization, from inspiring more girls to join the Boy Scouts of America, to guiding adults to become incredible leaders," said Matt Devore, CEO of the Cascade Pacific Council. "Her energy and excitement for the future of our Scouting is palpable. We are incredibly grateful to have her as our next Board Chair."

Kaleen succeeds Mark Ganz as Board Chair. Mark became Chair in 2016 and recently retired as CEO of Cambia Health Solutions.

"I can't thank Mark Ganz, enough for his leadership, especially during this past year.  Mark inspired us to 'accelerate through the pandemic.' And that's exactly what we've done," said Devore. "Despite the shutdown, we have created new adventures for families and kids including family camping on our properties, virtual advancement and a variety of new outdoor activities. We've also been able to update all of our camps to make them better than ever."

Kaleen is currently a partner at Page Two Partners, a consultancy focused on developing leaders and supporting executive transition for non-profit organizations. Her past experience includes Executive Director of Mount Hood Kiwanis Camp whose mission is to empower kids and adults with disabilities through outdoor camp experiences.  And prior to that, Kaleen was at Oregon Partnership, a non-profit whose mission is to end alcohol and drug abuse in Oregon, where she held such roles as Director of Development and Vice President.

About the Cascade Pacific Council, Boy Scouts of America
Cascade Pacific Council, BSA (CPC) guides nearly 10,000 girls and boys in 18 counties of NW Oregon and SW Washington. We offer an unparalleled program that teaches leadership and citizenship through fun and exciting adventures for the whole family.  We invite all people to get involved in Scouting and are committed to creating a positive, safe, and welcoming environment for all, valuing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences that will grow and strengthen our movement and continue to make us a valued contributor to the communities we serve. Find out more at https://cpcbsa.org

About the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be "Prepared. For Life.®" The Scouting organization is composed of more than 2.1 million youth members between the ages of 5 and 21 and approximately 800,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.Scouting.org.

Contact: Chris Bartell, Director of Marketing & Communications
[email protected]   cell: (971)337-5922

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SOURCE Cascade Pacific Council, Boy Scouts of America